Hate me, Miss Witch!

Enola once again dreamed of Ceylon that day.

Steam and flames were all around. Metal deformed under the scorching heat. Floorboards fell one by one, crashing to the ground and shattering.

The girl was buried in a narrow space beneath the ruins. The hot wind carried thick smoke and dust, choking her so much she could barely breathe.

She kicked futilely at the hot, cracked walls, trying to find a way out before the oxygen in the enclosed space ran out. But the narrow terrain offered no leverage, and besides, she was just an underage girl.

I'm going to die.

Just as this thought surfaced in Enola's mind, she heard the faint whimper of a small animal carried on the wind.

With a ROAR, the wall collapsed. The blizzard hammered Enola's face, along with the snowy plains ferret's fluffy tail.

Enola watched the boy's indistinct silhouette in the black smoke and murmured softly, "Shiayar."

She recognized the owner of the snowy plains ferret named "Silver." He was a longtime playmate and a very, very good friend. Enola had always considered him her greatest secret, treasured deeply in her heart and never revealed to her family.

Sometimes, he would take Enola to the snowy plains to watch vast herds of migrating reindeer. Other times, they would drill a small hole in the frozen lake, fishing from it with the snowy plains ferret, then build a fire to grill and share their catch.

But in the end, he was just a childhood playmate. A mere passerby from a certain period in her life... Playmates who once frolicked side-by-side, with the passage of time, would inevitably diverge onto vastly different life trajectories due to differences in background, talent, and so on, their paths unlikely to ever cross again.

While buried beneath the ruins, Enola had called out many names in her heart.

Yet, she never imagined that the one who would ultimately come to her rescue would be a boy about her own age.

"Ennie, get up."

"That was just the first wave of the beast tide. A second wave could come at any moment."

"We need to get out of Ceylon as quickly as possible. Luckily, I know a shortcut," the boy in the pitch-black smoke said.

"But I can't walk."

Enola glanced at her legs. Filthy blood mingled with melted snow, forming gory stains. Through the mangled flesh, bone was faintly visible.

It was an injury from being crushed by a heavy object, and her violent kicking against the wall had only worsened it.

Good. If I get to a Healing-type Beastmaster in time, I probably won't end up with a lifelong disability...

She saw the boy walk through the thick black smoke and bend down to check her injuries.

"No choice then. Hold tight to my neck."

Suddenly, Enola felt her body lighten as she was unceremoniously lifted from the ruins and carried on his back.

Thus, carried on his back, the girl departed the ruins, the burning city receding behind them.

The cold wind of the Northern Territory swept in, carrying a blizzard mixed with ice shards. These melted on the girl's tender skin, stealing away what little body warmth she had.

Blood loss from the wounds on her legs drained her strength. A wave of lethargy washed over her. She leaned on Shiayar's shoulder, her voice growing fainter and fainter. "So warm," she murmured.

"Hey, hey! You have hypothermia! That's why you feel warm in this icy wasteland."

"Is that so...?" The girl's consciousness began to blur.

Shiayar shook Enola vigorously. "Don't fall asleep! You mustn't fall asleep! Too many travelers in the ice field have closed their eyes for a moment and never opened them again."

"Just hang on a little longer. Over this mountain is a hunter's cabin. It has seal oil lamps, a warm stove, and dry firewood."

"And I remember there are also backup sled dogs and sleds there. Then we can cross this ice field and make it to Red Frost Territory's main city on the other side."

Enola tightened her arms around Shiayar's neck and replied softly, "Is that so?"

"Stay conscious! Think of something else. This disaster in Ceylon was definitely man-made."

"That beast tide was completely unnatural. Besides, the high-order Beastmasters who should have been on guard didn't give any early warning. Don't you want to find out who the real culprit behind the destruction of Ceylon is?"

"I do," Enola nodded, but her voice grew even fainter.

She felt her legs and feet grow numb in the blizzard, losing all sensation, followed by her hands...

Enola leaned close to Shiayar's ear and whispered, "Leave me. I won't make it to Red Frost Territory."

But she immediately felt the slender body beneath her tremble with anger.

"Don't you dare die!"

"If you die, then wouldn't all my effort coming here to save you, carrying you all this way across the Northern Territory Icy Plains, make me a clown?"

The boy's footsteps suddenly stopped.

He unfastened his fur coat, lifted Enola into his arms, and nestled her inside it, against his body.

"My 1st Soul Pact is with a snowy plains ferret. The physical feedback from the Soul Pact makes me more resistant to cold."

"In this godforsaken place, I'm the only warmth left for you. You don't mind, do you?"

Enola felt her cheek against Shiayar's bare skin, no cloth between them.

The boy's body shielded her from the biting wind; his chest, though not broad, radiated warmth.

"I don't mind," she murmured softly.

"You still seem listless…" Shiayar sighed.

That won't do. A person without the will to live can't make it out of these snowy plains alive.